The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico meet this Wednesday night at the World Baseball Classic.
The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. local time with both teams looking to advance to the next round.
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The Dominican Republic regained control of their destiny at the V World Baseball Classic on Tuesday by knocking out Israel with a 10-0 knockout in 7 innings of the match that closed day four of Group D, which gave Venezuela their place in top of the ranking. quarter-finals.
With Venezuela secure, and whatever happens this Wednesday against Israel, the fight for the final spot in the top-eight phase has been narrowed down to the game that will bring the curtain down on the Miami-based group. It’s what promises to be an electrifying clash between Puerto Rico, which had a holiday on Tuesday, and the Dominican Republic.
Borinqueños and quisqueyanos reach the final day with a similar record of two wins and one loss (2-1).
The Vinotinto, led by Omar López, consolidated their dominance in the box with a total of three wins (3-0) by beating the Nicaraguan rookie on Tuesday with a 1-4 victory.
The Central American outfit have lost in their four outings, scored four runs and allowed 22.
DOMINICAN KNOCK OUT AND DREAM
The students of Rodney Linares made the difference very early on, thanks to a single by Eloy Jiménez, which brought Juan Soto to the plate.
In the third episode, the ‘Plátano Power’ charged two more runs, one with a solo homer driven by Manny Machado and the other with a angled shot by Ketel Marte that carried Rafael Devers.
Already in the sixth round, the Dominicans extend the distance with an exchange of 4 points. The rush to the plate started with a brace from Jeimer Candelario. Gary Sánchez then walked, Soto reached pitcher Matt Mervis’ error and the bases were loaded. Julio Rodríguez took advantage of the magnificent moment.
The result occurred in the seventh due to the mercy rule, or KO, which ends the game when the difference between the ninths is ten points or more at the height of that episode.
And supremacy was achieved with a series of three scores. First it was Jéremy Peña’s RBI shot on Robinson Canó.
The performance ended with a field double sent by Jean Segura into right field which gave way to Canó and Nelson Cruz.
The Dominican Republic recalled on Tuesday that ten years ago it won its first title in the World Classic without defeat and has not yet given up the dream of repeating the feat on March 21 in the same city of Miami.
PORTO RICO
The Puerto Rican team, better known as “Team Rubio”, did not stop and managed to beat the Israeli national team on Monday in a match in which José De León was the team’s starter Puerto Rican at the World Baseball Classic..
It would be the first perfect match in WBC history. The Puerto Ricans outscored the Israelis 10-0.
José De León and three relievers combined to kick off the perfect opener in a Clasico as the Puerto Ricans beat Israel 10-0 on Monday.
The Group D duel ended after eight innings when the tournament’s block run rule was enforced. The Puerto Ricans took away the bitterness of the 9-6 defeat against Venezuela the night before, with a reaction that came too late.
De León equaled a Clásico record by striking out 10 in 5 2/3 innings. He was relieved after knocking out Spencer Horwitz with his 64th pitch, one shy of the tournament limit for starting pitchers in the first round.
“I was more focused on strikeouts than perfect innings,” De León said. “The truth is that I still don’t believe it. I’m living a dream.”
The 30-year-old right-hander was given a standing ovation by Puerto Rican supporters, the majority among the 27,813 present at LoanDepot Park.
De León signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins last December, the latest step in a career cut short by physical ailments for what was once a prized prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I never lost faith in myself. I dreamed of a moment like this because of everything I’ve been through,” De León said. “I needed a moment like this, to always be here to stay.”
De León was part of the Puerto Rican side that finished runners-up in the 2017 Clásico, but has struggled with injuries since. He required Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right hand when he was injured during spring training with Tampa Bay.
“It’s a great moment for everyone, but especially for him, with his family here and for everything he had to go through in his career,” said Puerto Rican manager Yadier Molina. “He deserves it”.
Martin Maldonado was the perfect game receiver, the same one who was behind the plate when the Houston Astros threw a no-hitter in Game 4 of the World Series they won last year against the Philadelphia Phillies . Maldonado also caught the Astros’ combined hit against the Yankees in New York last June.
It was the first no-hitter in the Classic since 18-year-old Shairon Martis covered seven innings for the Netherlands against Panama in the first of five tournaments in 2006.
At bat for Puerto Rico, Javier Báez hit a pair of doubles and Francisco Lindor contributed a triple and a single. The Puerto Ricans totaled 11 hits and ended up with a 2-1 record.
Yacksel Ríos took over from De León and struck to finish the sixth. Mets star reliever Edwin Díaz picked up the top of the seventh and the score was 9-0. Duane Underwood Jr. used 10 pitches to retire Israel in the eighth.
Puerto Rico attacked without delay against Colton Gordon, the Israel starter, with three runs in the first inning. Baez had a two-point brace and scored on Eddie Rosario’s brace.
Thanks to extra hits, the Puerto Ricans added three more runs in the second. Kiké Hernández made it 5-0 with a two-point brace, then scored with Emmanuel Rivera’s three-pointer.
Lindor hit his triple in the fifth to score two three-pointers.
In the eighth, Hernández’s single to left field led to Maldonado to end the game.